01.jpgThose that like to keep their business and personal lives separate know that two SIMs are better than one. To that end Viewsonic has unveiled the world's first Dual-SIM Android Froyo smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2011. The Viewsonic V350 is aimed at businesses looking to provide staff with a device that can offer separate numbers and bills for personal and business use, travelers looking to reduce roaming costs while retaining access to their regular number, or just regular consumers looking to take advantage of different deals from different network providers.
The V350 features a 3.5-inch HVGA (Half-size VGA) capacitive touchscreen display and runs Android 2.2 (Froyo). Its Dual-SIM capability gives it the ability to access two network services at the same time so users can choose which number they wish to make outgoing calls from while receiving calls on both numbers. Other features include a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera, MicroSD expansion slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and assisted GPS navigation.
ViewPad 10PRO
Viewsonic also kept the 'dual' theme going with the European unveiling of the bigger 10-inch brother for its ViewPad 7 tablet that boasts dual-boot functionality. For Windows users looking to dip their toes in the Android waters without overcommitting the device runs the Google OS as a virtualization so users can switch between Windows 7 and Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating systems without a reboot.
The ViewPad 10PRO is one of the first devices to be powered by Intel's new Oak Trail processors. Its 1024 x 600 LED backlit capacitive multi-touch display sports a new interface and the tablet includes support for flash 10.1, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and its battery is good for at least six hours of power.
ViewPad 4
Viewsonic's third offering at MWC 2011 was its ViewPad 4, which was first unveiled at CES in January. Despite the ViewPad moniker, this is an Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) based smartphone powered by a second-generation 1Ghz Snapdragon processor. The device boasts a 4.1-inch 800 x 480 pixel (WVGA) capacitive touchscreen, 720p video recording, playback, upload, and mini-HDMI 720p display output.
Other specs include Bluetooth 2.1, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a front-facing camera for videocalls via 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi. The ViewPad 4 uses its GPS/A-GPS functionality to adapt the ViewScene UI homescreen to display the most relevant apps for your location – social networking updates while at home and productivity apps while at work, for example.
Viewsonic hasn't released pricing details for its new devices, but the ViewPad 10PRO is expected to be released around May and the ViewPad 4 is expected sometime around June.
